[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. H2-84282
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. S60-37184
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. H6-2306
[Patent Document 4]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. H6-4711
As conventional inventions about a connector having ball baring mechanism and connecting male and female contact parts which couples lines transmitting electric power, electric signal and lights, respectively, the patent documents 1, 2, and 3 described above are disclosed.
Especially, a cable connector (optical connector) disclosed in the patent document 3 comprises a slide sleeve 26 and a slide cover (connecting ring 30 and 35) which are formed separately. Such a structure is advantageous for improving accuracy of the shape of parts which has a plane pressing a steel ball (sphere 109) strongly to inside, hardness of the plane, and easiness to form the parts. Also, those advantages are important for improving ruggedness and life of a cable connector having functions such as ball baring mechanism and slide mechanism.
FIG. 17 is a sectional and side view of a female plug 10 in a cable connector, which is equivalent to an optical connector disclosed in the patent document 3 and is now used in general. Each sign shown in FIG. 17 is equivalent to those used in the patent document 3 (FIG. 2).
FIG. 18 shows a partial sectional view (enlarged view of a part of FIG. 17) of the female plug 10. An inner slant face 27 and an inner circumference shoulder 28 are formed in a slide sleeve 26, and the inner sidewall plane of the slide sleeve 26 existing between the inner slant face 27 and the inner circumference shoulder 28 presses an steel ball (the sphere 109 in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the patent document 3) to the inside of the male plug.
FIGS. 19A and 19B are a perspective view and a front view of the slide sleeve 26 comprised in the female plug 10. Here the x axis in FIGS. 17 and 18 corresponds to the central axis of the slide sleeve 26 in an approximately cylinder shape. The slide sleeve 26 in the female plug 10 has a groove 26a in a domain of y<0 on a xy plane. This location corresponds to the location of θ=−90° as shown in the front view FIG. 19B. Here, the angle θ is an angle from the z axis in a clockwise rotation as in FIG. 19B. Sign A in FIG. 19B represents looking up the xy plane from the downside (z<0).
FIG. 20 is a partial sectional view of the female plug 10 in normal condition seen from the view point A (FIG. 19B). When the female plug 10 is in normal condition, or no external force is applied to the female plug 10, a spring 29 presses the slide sleeve 26 and slide cover (connecting ring 30 and 35) to the left side of the figure. A pin 11a is fixed at the female plug shell (shell 11) by penetrating the cylindrical sidewall of the female plug shell. Such a structure enables to limit range of movement of the spring 29. And by adapting to each of the groove 30a, the groove 26a and the groove 17a, the pin 11a limits relative rotation around the x axis of each part (the connecting ring 30, the slide sleeve 26, and the insulation (insert 17)) so that each part does not rotate relatively.
FIG. 21 is a partial sectional view of the female plug 10 from the view point A when the slide cover (the connecting ring 30 and 35) slides along with the slide sleeve 26 to the right hand (positive direction of the x axis). When the slide cover slides to the right hand, the spring 29 is compressed as shown in FIG. 21 while the steel ball (sphere 109) in the male plug shell 101 becomes to come and go to an engagement groove 16 freely.
Such a slide structure enables to keep connection between the male plug 100 and the female plug 10 securely and make them easier to put on and take off.
Also, the following female plug in an optical connector has been known. The optical connector comprises a detachable adaptor unit having a holding member such as divide sleeve, which keeps a condition that pointed ends of two ferrules face confront and connect with each other. As a prior art about such a female plug in the optical connector, the patent documents 3 and 4 described above have been known.
For example, the optical connector shown in the patent document 3 comprises a detachable adaptor unit having a divide sleeve. So when the pointed end of one ferrule is soiled, this adaptor unit is taken off from the female plug and its soil can be wiped off by using, e.g., a cotton swab.
FIG. 23 is a sectional and side view showing a female plug 10 in a conventional optical connector which is the same as that shown in the patent document 3. Each sign shown in FIG. 23 is equivalent to those used in the patent document 1 (FIG. 11). In FIG. 23, sign 18a represents a male screw formed around the central axis of the press member 18.
Hereinafter, in each figure of the present invention, the direction to which a shell opening of the male plug fitting to the female plug directs is defined as the positive direction of the x axis and each central axis of the male and female plugs corresponds to the x axis.
In a conventional female plug 10 shown in FIG. 23, an end of an adaptor pin 20 has a male screw which screws together with a female screw part 18a. The adaptor pin 20 is free by slackening and uncoupling the screw with a flathead screwdriver. The adapter 19 which contains the divide sleeve 22 can be also separated from a minor diameter part 13 of the shell 11 comprised in the female plug 10 along with the adapter pin 20.